Mets Likely To Promote Travis D'Arnaud

The Mets are likely to promote top catching prospect Travis d'Arnaud, Adam Rubin of ESPN New York reports (on Twitter). D'Arnaud would fill in for current starting catcher John Buck, who will soon go on paternity leave. Asked about the possibility of a d'Arnaud promotion, Mets GM Sandy Alderson recently said, "Right now, there isn't a real good reason not to," according to Newsday's Marc Carig (on Twitter).

D'Arnaud, who has missed most of the season with a foot injury, had been on a rehab assignment in Double-A Binghamton, but the team recently promoted him to Triple-A Las Vegas, the same city where he hit .333/.380/.595 last season, when Las Vegas was a Jays affiliate. The Mets are beginning a road trip to Arizona, Los Angeles and San Diego, which means that, with the promotion to the Pacific Coast League, d'Arnaud will be nearby whenever he's needed.

D'Arnaud was originally drafted by the Phillies, who shipped him to Toronto when they traded for Roy Halladay. The catcher was then one of the Mets' key acquisitions in the R.A. Dickey trade. MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo ranks d'Arnaud the No. 22 prospect in baseball. Before the season, d'Arnaud was ranked No. 14 by ESPN's Keith Law and No. 23 by Baseball America. BA's 2013 Prospect Handbook ranked him the No. 1 prospect in the Blue Jays system, noting that he makes "consistent hard contact" and that he has improved behind the plate as he's developed.

If d'Arnaud were to stick in the big leagues, he would surely miss the cutoff for Super Two eligibility. That would mean he would be eligible for arbitration after 2016, and free agency after 2019.

Sounds like it will only be for a couple of days -- just while Buck is on paternity leave. Still, another little glimpse into the Mets future.

And the rotation - going forward - is shaping up pretty nicely. If Mejia continues to pitch like this, Harvey/Wheeler/Niese/Gee/Mejia is going to be pretty nasty. And with Synagaard flirting with the majors next year, the staff looks set.

if we could add two bats in the off season, that would be groovy. Mets should tank the rest of the year to ensure they get a top 10 pick which would be protected when they go after a bat (hopefully)

And the rotation - going forward - is shaping up pretty nicely. If Mejia continues to pitch like this, Harvey/Wheeler/Niese/Gee/Mejia is going to be pretty nasty. And with Synagaard flirting with the majors next year, the staff looks set.

if we could add two bats in the off season, that would be groovy. Mets should tank the rest of the year to ensure they get a top 10 pick which would be protected when they go after a bat (hopefully)

why do people care about baseball picks? i bet there are as many stars picked in the second round and lower as there as are in the top 10 in MLB.

why do people care about baseball picks? i bet there are as many stars picked in the second round and lower as there as are in the top 10 in MLB.

I dunno....its better to have a top 10 pick than not have one. Matt Harvey was a top 10 pick. Same year as Bryce Harper and Manny Machado in the top 10. I don't have any numbers nor the inclination to look anything up, but I'm guessing top 10 picks (and first rounders in general) succeed at a better rate than lower picks.

I dunno....its better to have a top 10 pick than not have one. Matt Harvey was a top 10 pick. Same year as Bryce Harper and Manny Machado in the top 10. I don't have any numbers nor the inclination to look anything up, but I'm guessing top 10 picks (and first rounders in general) succeed at a better rate than lower picks.

you are right, better to have one then not...but generally unless there is a Bryce Harper in the draft (basically the Lebron of baseball in terms of draft projection) its pretty even...

That's just a breakdown of first rounders. My only point (and it was mostly tongue in cheek as I'm not a fan of tanking) is that if the Mets tanked the rest of the season and had a top 10 draft pick, they wouldn't lose it if/when they signed a Top FA.

So while I agree that the baseball draft is somewhat of a crap shoot, I would still rather the Mets have their first pick of the 14' draft be #9 overall, not #48. As it stands now, they will probably forfeit their first round pick on account of signing a FA. If they don't, that means they either have a top 10 pick (which would be protected), or didn't sign a big FA (which means you and I would be turning in our fan cards ). All things equal, I'll take the top 10 pick.

That's just a breakdown of first rounders. My only point (and it was mostly tongue in cheek as I'm not a fan of tanking) is that if the Mets tanked the rest of the season and had a top 10 draft pick, they wouldn't lose it if/when they signed a Top FA.

So while I agree that the baseball draft is somewhat of a crap shoot, I would still rather the Mets have their first pick of the 14' draft be #9 overall, not #48. As it stands now, they will probably forfeit their first round pick on account of signing a FA. If they don't, that means they either have a top 10 pick (which would be protected), or didn't sign a big FA (which means you and I would be turning in our fan cards ). All things equal, I'll take the top 10 pick.

this is no time to turn in your fan card my friend. with our rotation, and the emergence of guys like lagares, the future is bright...even if they dont sign an all star OF.

Looks like D'Arnaud is on his way up. Hopefully he will be in the lineup tomorrow.

New York Mets ‏@Mets 41m
John Buck got the call from his wife. Baby Buck is on the way. Anthony Recker will bat seventh tonight and catch. #Mets
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this is awesome news. i hope to god this kid doesnt turn out to be too fragile...he has all the potential in the world. If he can stay healthy, and Noah Syndergaard can continue to progress this may be one of the best trades the Mets ever made.

this is awesome news. i hope to god this kid doesnt turn out to be too fragile...he has all the potential in the world. If he can stay healthy, and Noah Syndergaard can continue to progress this may be one of the best trades the Mets ever made.

Agreed - I know its only AA, but it hard not to get at least a little bit excited over what he has done since being called up to Binghamton.

in many cases AA can be more challenging then AAA...i dont put that much stock into AA vs AAA. Its weird, TD seems like he is "always hurt" but the injuries are all kind of freakish.

I'll give him one more pass to show that he isn't "injury prone". If he can get some ABs this year (but not over 130 as I want him to keep his rookie status for Roto purposes ) and hit the ground running as next year's incumbant starter and take off, that would be great.

In the instant situation, its more like Binghampton vs. Las Vegas as I think Vegas is the biggest launching pad in a league of launching pads. But wherever he is, the kid hits the ball really hard. He'll be 25 by the start of next season, time to start showing his talent.